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Roman Mythology | Origin and History.

Definition: Roman Mythology

by Donald L. Wasson
For
many people, the word “myth” may immediately bring to mind rich images
of the ancient Greeks and their heroic tales of Zeus and the other
Olympian gods. One may envision the stories of Midas, Heracles, Pandora,
and Perseus. The Greeks, however, were not the only people to produce
myths. The Romans, among others, also had a rich mythology of their own
and, while much of it was derived from their neighbors, the Greeks, it
still defined the rich history of the Roman people as they eventually
grew into an empire.

The Concept of Myths

Before one can delve into a study of mythology, one must understand the concept behind a myth. In his book The Greek and Roman Myths: A Guide to the Classical Stories,
Philip Matyszak describes a myth simply as “the ancient’s view of the
world.” These myths -- although often appearing as simple stories filled
with valiant heroes, maidens in distress, and a host of all-powerful
gods -- are much more. The gods of the Greeks and Romans were
anthropomorphic, exhibiting many human qualities such as love, hate, and
jealousy, and because of this, the people of Rome and Greece were able
to see themselves in these tales and understand their relationship to
the rest of the world as well their connection to the gods. The lesson
often to be learned was that one must meet one's destiny with strength,
determination, and nobility. These myths enabled an individual to stand
against the ills and hardships of an unforgiving universe. Matyszak
states that, in spite of their constant disagreements and battles, the
gods and humankind had to stand together against the “monsters and
giants” of the world, or more simply, the “forces of disorder and wanton
destruction.”
Myths, whether Greek, Roman, any other
culture's, at the end of the day were concerned with the relationship
between the gods and humans, differing in this regard from fairytales
and folktales. For all people, in many ways, myths made life bearable by
providing security. They should not be easily dismissed as simple
stories for, in both Greece and Rome, they dealt with important issues:
the creation of the world, the nature of good and evil, and even the
afterlife. And, for this reason, these tales have stood the test of time
and become part of our present day culture. One only needs look at the
names of our planets to see this: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Neptune, Uranus and even poor little Pluto are all named for Roman
gods.

Greek Myths

In Greece, myths were derived from a rich old oral tradition: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Hesiod's Theogony.
These were tales that had been passed down through the generations,
first through the spoken word, and finally written down c. 8th century
BCE. When Rome was founded in the 8th century BCE, many of the Greek
city-states were already well-established. Greece even had founded
colonies on the Italian peninsula and Sicily. Centuries later, after the
four Macedonian Wars, these colonies would become a part of the early
Roman Republic. This contact with Greece, and more specifically with
Greek religion and mythology, had a lasting effect on Rome and its
people. Rome was able to adopt much that defined Greece: art,
philosophy, literature, and drama. Mythology, however, had to be adapted
to reflect a Roman set of values.
The influnece of
Greek myths was seen everywhere in Rome; in the architecture, subject
matter, and adornments of sculptures, temples, and mosaics. This
adoption of all that was Greek can be seen in the city’s relationship to
the Trojan War, a war that ultimately led to the most basic of Roman
mythology: the birth of Romulus and Remus and the founding of a city.
Whereas much of Greek mythology was transmitted through their poetry and
drama, the Roman myths were written in prose, providing a sense of
history and a foundation of all that was Roman: their rituals and
institutions. In Roman mythology the difference between history and myth
was almost indistinguishable:Rome was a city of destiny and the myths
told that story.

Ovid

Many
early Roman authors wrote on the myths of Rome. Ovid, before his exile
by Emperor Augustus, wrote at a critical time in Roman history,
politically and culturally. The emperor was hoping to reestablish a
connection to the Republic’s old religion and a reverence for the gods.
Ovid penned several works centering on both Roman myth and religion -- Metamorphoses and Fasti are two of his best-known works. His stories, while mostly Greek, contained Roman names. In Fasti
he portrayed the festivals of the first six months of the old Roman
calendar, the legends of the gods, and the origin of many of their
rituals. While early Roman mythology maintained a deep connection with
the city and its rich history, it centered on one specific legend: the
birth of its supposed founders: Romulus and Remus.

The Aeneid and Aeneas

While
the true origin of Rome varies from source to source, historical as
well as fictional, one of the earliest to relate the story (reminiscent
of Homer’s Odyssey) was Virgil (Vergil) in his Aeneid,
a tale that related the travels of its hero, the Trojan warrior Aeneas.
The Aeneid has been said to exhibit the most complete expression of
Roman mythology. In the story, our hero, with the assistance of his
mother, the goddess Venus (his father was a mortal named Anchises),
escaped Troy with his father and a number of his fellow soldiers before
the city completely succumbed to the Greeks. This story and its
connection to the Trojan War gave the Romans a link to the ancient
Trojan culture. It should be noted that the story of the Trojan horse
comes from Virgil, though mentioned in Homer's Odyssey.
With Venus’s assistance, the defeated Trojans leave the fallen city and
set sail for Italy, where it has been foretold that Aeneas would found a
city. They traveled first to Greece and then, as in Homer’s tale, are
blown off course. Jupiter’s wife Juno constantly interferes with Aeneas
throughout the story. They land at the African city of Carthage where
our hero meets the beautiful Queen Dido, and of course, love follows,
and he soon forgets his true purpose.

The Meeting of Dido and Aeneas

Ultimately,
the god Mercury intervenes and reminds Aeneas of his destiny, causing
him and his men to reluctantly leave Africa and sail away; tragically,
Queen Dido commits suicide over the loss of her beloved by throwing
herself on a burning pyre. Upon landing at Cumae, Aeneas consults Sibyl,
an oracle, who leads him into Hades where he not only encounters his
fallen enemies and Queen Dido but also meets his recently deceased
father who tells him of the great city his descendants would establish.
Later, after reaching the mouth of the Tiber, the wayward Trojans enter
into a war with King Turnus of the Rutuli (more of Juno’s handiwork).
Venus appeals to Vulcan (the Roman version of the Greek Hephaestus) to
make Aeneas new armor and weapons as he had done for Achilles. Turnus
was finally defeated and killed in a duel. A peace is ultimately reached
with Aeneas marrying the king’s daughter; supposedly Jupiter had
convinced Juno to end her war with Aeneas.

Romulus & Remus

Aeneas’s
descendants became the founders of the city of his destiny: Rome.
According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were the sons of the war god
Mars and Rhea Silvia, daughter of the true king of Alba Longa, Numitor.
In a coup, Amulius overthrew his brother and, to safeguard his claim to
the throne, forced Rhea to join the Vestal Virgins. One day, Mars spied
the young Rhea in the sacred woods and raped her. She bore two sons who,
by order of King Amulius, were thrown in the Tiber. A recent flood
caused them to drift ashore at Ficus Ruminalis. They were rescued by a
she-wolf, the sacred animal of Mars (the wolf was supposedly aided by a
woodpecker, another sacred animal of Mars). Later, the boys were adopted
by a local herdsman named Faustulus and his wife Acca Larentia.

Romulus & Remus

Years
pass and the two future founders of the city become leaders in their
community, with Remus ultimately landing in the king’s dungeon. Romulus
rescued his brother, and with the assistance of Numitor, deposed
Amulius. Of course, by this time the boys had learned of their true
identity. Together they founded a city; however, in a dispute over the
naming rights to the city, Remus is killed in a fit of jealousy, and the
city becomes Rome. In one version of the dispute, the boys agreed to
watch for omens in a flight of birds. Romulus won the naming rights and
Remus was killed (Romulus was supposedly favored by the gods). Romulus
would rule Rome for forty years.

Roman Gods & Goddesses

Roman
mythology, like that of the Greeks, contained a number of gods and
goddesses, and because of the early influence of Greece on the Italian
peninsula and the ever-present contact with Greek culture, the Romans
adopted not only their stories but also many of their gods, renaming a
number of them. One exception to this practice is the god Apollo, the
only god whose name is common to both cultures. Originally, before their
association with the Greeks, many of the Roman gods were more closely
associated with cults rather than myths (as was the case with the Greek
hero Heracles who became the Roman champion Hercules). Much of this
change came, however, when the Romans turned from farming to war.
Early
in the development of Roman mythology, there was Saturn, equivalent to
the Greek god Cronus. His temple at the foot of Capitoline Hill included
the public treasury and decrees of the Roman Senate. The triad of early
Roman cult deities were recreated as Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva; the
latter was the patron saint of craftsmen and goddess of school children
(later associated with Athena). Jupiter, the sky-god, became more akin
to the Greek Zeus. Jupiter influenced every aspect of a Roman’s life;
his temple on Capitoline Hill was the final destination of many
victorious military commanders who would leave a portion of their booty
as an offering to Jupiter. His wife (and sister) Juno became reminiscent
of Hera, presiding over every facet of Roman women’s life, and in the
case of Aeneas, vindictive against those she disliked.
Similarly,
the love-goddess Aphrodite became Venus, born from the foams of the
sea, while the brothers of Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, became Pluto and
Neptune respectively. The Greek Artemis was renamed Diana, the goddess
of the hunt, while Ares, the war god, was now Mars who originally had
been an agricultural god associated with spring, a time of regeneration
(March is named for him). Roman commanders would always make a sacrifice
to him before a battle. And lastly, one must not forget Hermes, the
messenger, who turned into Mercury, a minor deity who had at one time
been the god of trading and profit and, as mentioned, Hercules, the
Roman version of Heracles.

Hercules

As
in Greece, Roman cities often adopted their own patron deity and built
temples and performed rituals to honor that god. And, while the
influence of the Greeks is vast, the Romans had a number of original
gods of their own such as Janus, the two-faced god of doorways and gates
(the city gates were open during the time of war and closed during the
time of peace). Similar to the Etruscan god Culsans, Janus could see
both the future and the past. Valued for his wisdom, he presided over
the beginnings of all events. There was also Vesta, daughter of Saturn
and the goddess of the hearth and family life, whose followers were
called the Vestal Virgins. Though linked to the goddess Hestia of the
Greeks, she took on her own distinct personality in Roman mythology.
Numa, the second king of Rome, founded a cult dedicated to Vesta.
Lastly, there was Faunus, the god of nature; he was worshipped as the
protector of crops with a festival in December.
There
were also a number of water gods, vitally important to the farmers, as
every river and spring had its own deity (Juturna was the goddess of
springs and water). Farmers had to appease these gods through a series
of offerings. Tiberius was the god of the Tiber, and every May 27th
straw dummies were thrown into the Tiber to pacify him. This is
reminiscent of the ancient Roman belief in spirits --- supernatural
forces that inhabited everything around them including people. Every May
(9, 11, and 13) the festival of Lemuria was celebrated where the
spirits of the dead were exorcized. Many Romans believed they were
constantly watched over by the spirits of their ancestors.
While
many people only think of the Greeks when the topic of mythology is
considered, the Romans had a rich and vibrant mythology of their own. We
all have heard, in some form, the story of the she-wolf and her saving
the brothers Romulus and Remus and, in this same way, many other Roman
myths have become a part of our culture in the present day. To the
Greeks and the Romans, myths explained who they were as a people and
gave them a sense of national pride, an understanding of valor and
honor, and insight into their destiny.

Written
by Donald L. Wasson, published on 10 December 2014 under the following
license: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This
license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content
non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their
new creations under the identical terms.

Bibliography

Anonymous. A Companion to Greek Mythology. Wiley-Blackwell, 2014.

Anonymous. The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion. Oxford University Press, 2003.